Meet ellie holcomb
By samantha morgan

Ellie Holcomb is a doting mother of one little girl and the expectant mother of a second little one due in July, hailing from sunny Nashville, Tennessee. After touring with her husband Drew and his band, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, God opened doors for Ellie to write and sing her own music. Even though a music career wasn’t her plan for her life, it was God’s; and now Ellie wouldn’t have it any other way. Her debut solo studio album, As Sure as the Sun, and her sweet spirit led to her winning the Best New Artist at the 2014 Dove Awards. We were blessed to get to ask Ellie a few questions and really understand her heart for the Lord, for His daughters, and for His praise.

Crown of Beauty: How did you get started in music? 

Ellie: I’m an accidental musician. I actually set out to avoid the music business altogether, swearing I’d never marry a musician and pursuing a Master’s in Education. My husband initially convinced me to quit my job to join his band, and what we thought would be a year-long diversion turned into a decade of making music together, and separately. When I tried to quit my husband’s band to be a stay at home mom, God began opening up all sorts of doors to share the music I’d been writing on my own, with the world. It’s a joy, and although I never thought I’d be doing this, I am grateful to get to remind myself and others of the promises of God by writing and playing music.

Crown of Beauty: How do you balance family and touring? 

Ellie: It is a feat, that’s for sure. We are so grateful to have the support of our families and an amazing nanny to walk with us through this crazy season. This balance is something we are constantly praying through and evaluating, and we’re grateful to know that God is a good dad to us and to our little girl, even during seasons when we can’t all be together.

Crown of Beauty: Where do you like to write your songs?

Ellie: I most often begin songs in the car, on planes, and usually after spending time in God’s word.

Crown of Beauty: What is your favorite song from As Sure as the Sun?

Ellie: The title track, “As Sure As the Sun” is probably the closest to my heart.  When my husband and I started dreaming about having a family of our own, I wanted to write a song that would carry the truths that I hoped this little person I was dreaming about would know in the very depths of their being. As it turns out, they’re the promises that I need to remember most as well…the promise of God’s presence in the heights of our joy and in the depths of our suffering, and the promise of God’s unending mercy (Hos. 6:3 & Lam.3:22-24). It’s the song that I now sing to our little girl every night before I put her to bed, and it’s the song that often rings true with me, even when I feel like a failure as a mom, or a friend, or a follower of Jesus.

Crown of Beauty: What is the story behind "With You Now"? 

Ellie: I wrote "With You Now" with a dear friend of mine, Jillian Edwards Chapman. We were thinking about how beautiful the promise of Emmanuel, "God with us," is. Jillian had told this story about how her twin brother had his heart broken at college one year and had written all of these heart-break songs. She remembered sitting with their two other sisters on his bed just all singing harmonies to his sad songs. We were marveling at the way God often reveals Himself through His people and wrote the song from that place of knowing God to be faithful, even in the midst of our loneliest seasons.


Crown of Beauty: What is your favorite part about live shows? 

Ellie: I am always amazed by how music connects our stories. What an honor to get to perform and see your songs resonate with other people! I love hearing people’s stories after the show as well, and I will never stop being humbled by and grateful for this opportunity!

Crown of Beauty: Have you ever struggled with identity? Self-worth? What would you say to girls who do? 

Ellie: Nope. Never. YEAH RIGHT!!! It is a daily battle for me to take thoughts captive and point myself back to the truth about who HE says that I am and how HE loves me. All I can say in this serious battle in which we all fight for worth, is that the more time I spend looking into the face and heart of God, the better off I am.  It changes everything when you are reminding yourself over and over again that you are deeply adored, chosen, and cherished by someone who knows you better than you even know yourself! I’d say that even though it’s hard, battling to claim your true identity is one of the best and most important fights we’ll face as women. Keep up the good fight!


Crown of Beauty: How did you know Drew was "the one"? 

Ellie: He was my best guy friend I swore I’d never date, but he had been such a good friend to me that I began to get sad at the thought of dating anyone else, because I would miss his friendship so much. I was amazed on our first date by how natural the whole thing felt. Peace describes the feeling well. I never grappled with whether or not we should be together forever because my heart felt total peace in a way I’d never experienced before in a relationship. It was our second date when he said this to me: “Ellie, I’m crazy about you and I want to love you really well, but I’m just a man. I’m going to fail you, hurt you, and disappoint you. I don’t want to do any of those things, but I’m only human. So I need you to run as hard as you can after a relationship with Jesus because He’s going to be able to love you far better than I’ll ever be able to, and I want you to be loved the best.” I knew that I’d found a man who would point me, over and over again, to Jesus, the Author and definition of love itself.

fun facts about ellie! 

Favorite...

Color? Blue

Food? Frozen blueberries

Starbucks? Skinny Hazelnut Latte

Bible passage? Hos. 6:3

Place? Our home in Nashville or the beach (any beach!)

Disney Princess? Maid Marian from Robin Hood, or Ana from Frozen

Other artists' song? "Your Love is Strong" - Jon Foreman
    & "He's Always Been Faithful" - Sara Groves 

Connect with Ellie!
Twitter: @ellieholcomb
Instagram: @ellieholcomb
Facebook: Ellie Holcomb
Website: www.ellieholcomb.com